One dead, one injured in crash of small plane near Leesburg

A section of an airplane wing can be seen in a clump of trees neare… (Tom Benitez, Orlando Sentinel )

December 24, 2012|By Eloísa Ruano González, Orlando Sentinel

Minutes before a small aircraft crashed Monday near Leesburg, killing one person and injuring another, Beverly Swank was getting ready to bake banana-nut bread for Christmas when she heard a plane's engine cut off.

Swank, 67, said she figured it was one of the aerobatic stunt planes that routinely fly over the area 3 miles north of Leesburg International Airport practicing tricks. But she heard a loud bang.

"That's scary," Swank said. "It could have crashed anywhere."

A man died in the crash and a woman suffered injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, said Lake County Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief of Administration Jack Fillman. Their identities were not immediately released. A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said the agency will be investigating the crash.

Something had gone wrong with the craft and the pilot was trying to land it in a pasture when it crashed into the trees, Fillman said.

"As it was coming down, it struck the top of one tree and then struck the bottom of another tree," he said.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office received a call about the crash about 2:35 p.m. The plane crashed on Dennis Road, near Treasure Island Avenue.

C.C. Caldwell, 40, said he heard the same sound as Swank and also thought it was the plane he had seen weekly doing stunts.

"I heard when the engine cut off and I heard it crash," said Caldwell, who was servicing a grove pump at the time in the rural area dotted by oak trees. "I heard when the engine cut off and I heard it crash. It was quick — bam!"

A piece of the plane, which appeared to be a wing, was visible through some oak trees on private property.

The plane appeared to be a Piper Navajo, a twin-engine aircraft, said Brian Sapp, who owns Sunair Aviation at the Leesburg airport. Sapp suspected the plane ran out of fuel since it didn't burst into flames after it crashed.

"It's a shame. Someone was stretching out the fuel…There's no other logical explanation," he said. "My heart goes out to the family, especially on Christmas."